UP! SPEAK !?!

... HEALTH AND Human Services, a real misnomer, went to a World Health Organization conference on infant health and threatened and blackmailed Ecuador from sponsoring a proposal on breast-feeding. It seems that the Trump people had corporate sponsors who make infant formula that they were trying to appease. Sound familiar, too familiar over the last several years! ... RLE

I NEVER really heard a coherent argument against PARCC — except that it was used as a metric for evaluating teachers; the other arguments, too long, too hard, etc., can rightly be made against any standardized test. I get that the union hated (Secretary Hanna) Skandera, but scrapping something just because it came from someone you hate seems a waste. BC

SO EASY for the Journal to criticize APD and the DA’s office for handling of the Victoria Martens case. If thoroughness and attention to detail weren’t taken at the onset the entire case could have been jeopardized and they would have also been blamed. Those involved in this atrocity have serious mental health issues that may not be easy to identify. Please give them some credit for dealing with the huge burden of crime solving and prevention they deal with every day. DP

ARE WE in a trade war? Yes. Will it be over soon? No. When it is over, and it will be over, we will have won. You can count on it. The United States has been getting screwed by unfair trade practices for the past 40 years and President Trump is the only president who has the knowledge and guts to do anything about it. JD

WE DEMOCRATS must wake up to the fact the Republic(an) Party changed the rules of the game. The Republic(an) Party now says winner takes all and loser gives all. If we don’t vote them out, we deserve to lose what we don’t fight for. Wake up! MJ

RE: THE editorial of June 10, “NM chile, sun not enough to get many to come or stay.” All of the bad things you mention are never going to change as long as the Democrats control the state Legislature, especially the Senate, along with the unions controlling primary education. Their sole purpose is to maintain the status quo. DW

WHY DO Dems only want bipartisanship and cooperation when it comes to Republican picks for SCOTUS? They filibustered Gorsuch for the sole reason that he was a conservative; he had impeccably credentials. That caused McConnell to do away with filibuster, and now the Dems have no way to participate. Had they been bipartisan with Gorsuch the(y) might still have some options this time around. BC

WITH APOLOGIES to Walt Kelly: After the Helsinki summit meeting with Putin, it’s clear that “We have met the enemy, and he is Trump.” LWG

I THINK the extreme left has gone so far left they have left our country. What a blessed day. RDH

TODAY, DONALD Trump proved that it is possible to establish better relations with Russia. All the United States needs to do is grovel and repudiate the fundamentals of our democracy. So easy! So much “winning”! CK

RATHER THAN focusing, laser-like, on fighting crime, Mayor Keller wants everyone to live within a 10-minute walk of a city park. Odd priority, given that you’ll likely be shot on the way there or back — and then when you limp back, bleeding, to your driveway you’ll find your car missing. CC

TIM KELLER wants to build new parks so that everyone will be able to reach one with a 10-minute walk. Few — except homeless, junkies and alcoholics — are in the parks now. Why spend more tax dollars for something few want or will use – like the ART project and city buses? SLF

I WORKED as a Department of the Army civilian for 30 years, and there was no way any of the people in my office could travel first class or hire private planes to travel. How is it that the people the president has chosen to support him are able to get away with this? Why does it take months for these things to come to light? MSB

WHERE ARE Republicans screaming about Obama’s apology tour? About an American president bowing? That Obama did not speak about American exceptionalism? What should be very clear is that 45 is no patriot. He can hug the flag all he wants, but he has failed miserably when he has been called upon to defend this country outside of his own self interest. The GOP is no better. Makes you wonder what Russia has on Ryan, McConnell, Graham and Paul. #MAGA BF

A SUGGESTION regarding ex-Mayor Berry and the lies told about financing and cost of the bus project? Would it be possible to “claw back” some of the wages paid to Berry and some of his colleagues? I know it wouldn’t be much overall, but it might be nice to give back some money to the merchants he and his crew put out of business. DGW

WITH ALL the griping about Amtrak interrupting service through our state, why not use the N.M. Rail Runner from border to border? After all, it is named after our state! Then you could tell Amtrak to shove it and the people that whine about the Railrunner to bite it! RRB

WHY DOESN’T the ART project run the 10-bus fleet it has now and collect some kind of revenue, so the public can see how it’s all going to work? They can’t run the full fleet all at once. Besides, all you really see on the bus runs are bums, drunks, etc. I was against the project from the start, and now I see why. Thank you, (former Mayor) R. Berry. REV

GOP IN one breath threatens (FBI agent Peter) Strzok with contempt if he doesn’t detail Russia investigation, which is ongoing. Then it says it won’t release transcript of Strzok’s initial testimony — because its investigation is ongoing? PM

IT IS my hope that you Trump supporters and military veterans who support him are proud of the fact that your president saluted an army general of a country that is a sworn enemy of the United States. How shameful and disgraceful to disrespect America! JL

YOUTH FOCUS on gun violence, as shown in the many movies and TV programs they enjoy. But they are not focusing on a more daily reality of teen driving that accounts for many more youth deaths. And these are our future voters; we are doomed. GWT

I HEAR all the genius comments about how our POTUS is demanding the members of NATO to pay their fair share, then question why he is not so strict with Putin. Well, duh, the Soviet Union is not a member of NATO. Would you people please grow up? JEH

SO THE Republican federal tax overhaul allowed the state to refinance and break even on the Rail Runner debt financing (July 10 Journal). Do you think this state and its Democrat politicians will ever give President Trump or the Republicans any credit? BB

THIS IS the United States of America —- if you want to join a union you should have the right to join. This is the United States of America — if you don’t want to be part of a union you should not be forced to be. The Supreme Court got it right. RGT

IF MICHELLE Lujan Grisham doesn’t give us at least a few weeks break from the constant barrage of political ads, we are going to be so sick and tired of the sound of her voice and the sight of her face, there is no way that we’ll vote for four more years of her. There is such a thing as overkill. CB

WHEN YOU vote in November remember the July Trump/Putin meeting. CM

OUR CURRENT president is not a patriot, not a negotiator, not honest about how he is obviously being controlled by the Russians. The Republican Party is blind, deaf and dumb. Ronald Reagan must be spinning in his grave at the level of treason they have sunk to. RS

HOW IS it “cruel” to make ablebodied individuals with no children at home work, get schooling, or get job training in order to continue to receive benefits the rest of us pay for by working, sometimes two to three jobs? I am so tired of everything liberals disagree with being labeled as cruel. BC

I AM starting to become fond of the City Council. They are like dogs who have survived distemper — oddly sweet, proudly stupid and prone to doing useless things — $2.6 million of taxpayers money for Topgolf is their crowning glory. MS

HOW REFRESHING it was to see your great editorial of July 13, “When did education and work become bad things?”! It is certainly not surprising to see that the Senate has no work requirements in its version of the farm bill. I cannot envision Sens. Udall and Heinrich voting for “work requirements.” DW

WHY IS it I cannot contact (U.S. Rep.) Steve Pearce because I don’t live in his district? I believe he is running for governor of the whole state of New Mexico, not just the southern district. He needs to provide contact information for all of us. MSB

TO REP. Christine Trujillo: Exactly what crime is the state of New Mexico committing in regard to private prisons contracting with the feds to house detained immigrants? These are the kinds of verbal fireballs that do not elevate the debate and only seek to inflame tensions and give a politician their 15 seconds of fame. I long for the days of actual thoughtful political debate. BC